The UK saw the greatest decline in traditional live TV viewing among comparator countries, decreasing by 4.9% from 2013 to 2014.

Ofcom said 42% of UK homes own a television connected to the internet, making families increasingly likely to use catch-up services such as All 4 or Sky-on-Demand.

Seven in 10 of the UK’s connected TV owners are watching such content, while more than half (54%) are watching content via a subscription service such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.

The technology suffering as a result of these changes is the DVD player, according to Ofcom. A large proportion of people in every sampled country reported watching DVDs or Blu-Ray discs less this year, with only a small number saying they watched more.

James Thickett, Ofcom’s director of research, said: “UK viewers won’t be tied to the TV schedule this Christmas.

“More than anywhere else, we’re watching TV and films at a time that suits us, on a range of devices, in and out of the home. So this year, more people can fit their festive TV viewing around opening presents and carving the turkey.”